Flash and touch box



w. H. CONKLIN 2,012,924

FLASH'AND TOUCH BOX Filed March 17, l933 2 Sheets-Sheet l U; 0" 47 whim @Q I 49 g @"Hm Fig. 2

I%2ENTOR ATTORNEYJ "appended claims.

Patented Aug. 27, 1935 1 ":FLASHMAND ToUoHBoi 5 J William 'H Conklin,"'Ansonia, Tani A. V Conklinadministrator f said ;H.

Conklin, deceased Application March -17, 1933, serial N6. 263? 'Claims. (c1.1 r1 ss7) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in meansfor transmitting intelligence and has relation to means such as disclosed in my prior Patent ;No. 1,771;953 of July 29,1930.

An object of the invention is {to provide an intelligence transmitting means'which may be used in conversing with the blind and'deaf to transmit a message to them.

Another object is to ,providean transmitting means which may be used by the dumb for transmitting a message to :the blind or to the'deaf. .c y

Another object is to provide a means as stated,

l intelligence being transmitted to the blind or tailed description taken in connection with :the

accompanying drawings :wherein -a satisfactory embodiment of'theinvention is shown.*= However, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed butinjcludes all such variations and modifications :as fall within the spirit-of the invention andthe scope of the In the I drawings:

---Fig; 1 is" a front elevational view of (a device embodying'theinventi0n;- i

Figr-Zshowsthe wiring diagram; -Fig; 3 is a view partly in=elevation andpartly lnsection, 'thedeVice-being sectioned as indimitted;

- -Fig.- 4' is*a-longitu dinalsectional view-"taken substantially v along the line "4-4 of Fig. 3 -Fig. 5 is a transverse-sectional viewtaken-substantially along theline 5-5 (of Fig. 3;

" Fig fiisan-end elevational viewlooking from theleft in-Fig. 3; and

Ijig, '7 shows 'an alphabet which be Referring in detail-to the drawings, at ill] is shown a device through which intelligence may intelligence be transmitted-to :those, having the ,sense ofsight and ati l is shown a means through Which intelligencemay be-transmitted by the sense of touch-; of the person receiving the intelligence. Bothof the means lfl and ,-l 1 maybe connected to be controlledor actuated by suitable switch mechanism mounted by a support-or box l2 which is; preferably portable and may be held in the hand as are the devices I 0 and H. Current may be supplied from zany suitable source as from a battery I3 and-thelatter-may be connectedto the-control means-l2 through a cable [4 while the control means is connected to the devices-.10 and I l by cables and-l6 respectively.- A 1 The dev ce 0,-;an d insofar as such device is concerned :the-control means i2 is the same as that disclose din, myypatent above referred to in both construction; and mode of operation. .The means I l comprises;-a =housingincluding a box or body portion IJQ h'aving a cover l8 applied thereto and this-covenmay, if desired, be secured in any suitable manner as by having a relatively tight fit :on ;the, ;bo Cover 18 has af-series .oi openings-19 therein ;-the openings being spaced apart. In the presentin'stancethey are arranged in-two parallel rows therebeing :three openings in each row and the openings in one .rowbeing arranged in lateralalignment with those in .the other-row. Other arrangements, however, may befused if;found more desirable, but this arrangement is ,preferredlf Within the; box all are aseries of magnetic coils 20 eachmounted on a-tubular core II and ,each'enclosed by a-yoke22 the yokes being supported ason aluminu'm supports -or brackets 23 disposed on the bottom wall of the box and se- I cur'ed to the yokes as by the cores 2| which may-(havetheir' lower ends turned .or spun over las atf for this-purpose. The upper ends-oil the cores 2 I pass through the yokesand are also carried through an insulating sheet25 into which their upper out-turned" ends 26 .may be counter sunk as bestshown in Fig. 4. With'this arrange-,

ment' it willibeonoted that thetubularcores 2| ,lserve fto secure, together the respective coils, brackets and yokes and that said :coresalso serve to secure ,the parts to the insulating :base or sheet 25.

Within each core 2| thereisa'rranged a steel pin orlplunger Z'Ihavinga l-owerportion'of rela -tively large diameter but "freely slidable in its respective core. These pins have their upper portionsreduced to pass through openings in an =a1uminumplate 28 secured to the up er surface of the insulating plate 25 as by screws 29 or other suitable means. It will be understood that the openings through the cores 20 and plate 28 are in alignment with the respective openings l9 in the cover l8. By reference to Fig. 4 it will be noted that the openings in the cover and in the plate 28 are somewhat smaller in diameter than the inner diameters of the cores 2|. The object of this arrangement is to prevent theflpins 21 from moving out of the device, it beingapparent that the pins may move outwardly through the openings until shoulders, represented by the out er ends of the inner relatively large diameter portions of the pins, abut the inner surface of the plate28. This plate is not needed as long as the cover I8 is in place and the plate is simply provided to prevent loss of the pins when the cover is removed.

In one of its end walls the box I! is provided with an opening 30 and within the box and in alignment with said opening is fa'receptacle 3| enclosing contacts, not shown, and adapted to have necessary leadwires connected to it as by a plug 32having tubular contact" fingers, not shown, to enter openings 3min the end of the receptacle and engagethe contacts therein to make the electrical connection in the usual man'- ner, and in Fig. 4 at 33 is suggested the wires from the plug to the various .coils'20. When the coils are deenergized the pins 21 occupy'the lower or full line positions of Fig. 4 and on energizing of the coils thepinsare drawn upwardly'so as to project their reduced. upper end portions through the openings IS in the cover l8. The control means I2 comprises a suitable box or panel mounting a series of switches 34, 35, '36, 3.1, 38, and 39 which may be'the usual push button switch. 'Also, mounted on=-this panel is a switch 4fl' which may bea snap switch.

To facilitate the description 'of the operation the upper reduced portio'ns'of the pins Zlare given separate designations and these portionsv .are numbered, 42, 43,14, 45, and 46 respeccontrols light 48, switch 36 controls light 49,

switch 37 controls light 50, switch 38 controls light and switch 39 controls light-52; The snapswitch 4B may controlfthe guide or pilot light 53-which'would only {be used at nightso I that the location of the other lights relatively willibeunderstood; Preferably, light 53 is" of a different color from the other light for easy distinctionla'nd light 53 may be green whilethe other lights'rnay be red or white for any-other suitablecolor, j v v I Fig.; 2 shows the wiring diagramfor the device'tl andfthe control rheans |2. From that figure it will be apparent that the switches 34,

35, 36,3l,'33,and 39 control the coils of pins 4|, 42, 43, 44, 45,.and46 respectively. The leadwires areindicated at 54,55, 56, 51', 58, and 59 respectively and the common return wire'is indicated ,at 6B. In actual practice these wires are all incorporated in 'the'c'able |6. The wiring diagram and the operation of thevisual indicator |0. is

When a messageis to be transmitted through the device H the fore orindex finger of the left fully disclosed in my priorpat'ent-above referred hand is placed on the cover l8 over the openings I9 registering with the upper reduced portions 4|, 42 and 43 of the pins and the middle finger is located over the other row of openings and above the pins having the reduced upper portions 44, 45, and 46. On closing of the various push button switches the respective coils 29 will be energized andthe respective pins drawn upwardly to project their reduced portions through the openings Hi. I The locations of these openings is such that the pin 43 will engage the distal joint of the finger while the pin 42 will engage the medial joint and the pin 4| will engage the proximal joint. The pins of the other row engage corresponding portions of the middle finger. Figs. 1 and 3 suggest by dotted lines the positioning of the fingers while Fig. 4 showsthe fingers in full lines, the index finger being designated BI and the middle finger being designated 62.

As the switches 34 through 39 are arrangedin; the same order and relative arrangement asare the pins 4| through 46 respectively it is a simple matter for the operator. to work the switches to operate any individual pin or any combination of that pin with any other pin. Through the sense of touch a signal may easily be transmitted to one who is blind and the device may be supported on a table or held in one. hand as is desired, its position being more or less immaterial. The six pins-and coils disclosed provide a suflicient number of different "signals for transmitting any desired message. However, if it is founddesirable to transmit a larger number of different combinations involving the use of not more than two touches by any one pinthis may be accomplished by addingv additional pairs of pins and coils. 'I'his would appear unnecessary and the use of the six pins and coils is preferred since when such an arrangement operates, one pin engages each joint of each of two fingers so that the pins are more readily distinguished.

In Fig. 7 I have illustrated by Way of example an-alphabet which may be used with this device for transmitting any message desired. This is merely'suggestive since various signals may be used for different letters as desired, but the alphabet illustrated is simple and easy to learn. The line 63 indicates the letters corresponding to thesig'nals under each letter and the small circles represent the various pins 4| through 46 and the push buttons 34 to 39, and where the circles are darkened this is to indicate that that particular pin is projected. In learning the alphabet pin 4| is considered as No. 1, pin 42 as No. 2, pin 43 as No. 3, pin 44 as No. 4, pin 45 as No. 5, and pin 46 as No. 6. These correspond with the numbers in the lines indicated at- 64. It will therefore be apparent that in making up thisparticular alphabet the touchpins are taken in regular order "making it easier to memorize the alphabet.

Where the darkened circles are shown twice and connected by a curved line 65 this is'to indicate that the particular pin is actuated twice in quick successionfor that particular letter of the alphabet.

' From the foregoing it will be understood that through the use of the devices l and I2 messages may be readily transmitted to the blind, the per- 1. In a communicating device, a support, three I pairs of pins normally biased to an inoperative position in the support and operating through openings in the support, said pins being arranged in two parallel rows and so spaced that a pin may engage each joint of each of two fingers placed over the rows, an electromagnetic means for each of said pins for shifting the pins toward the said fingers, and control means for said electromagnetic means including an individual manually operable control switch for each electromagnetic means.

2. In a communicating device, a support, a plurality of indicating devices in said support each in position to be touched by a finger of the person being communicated with and arranged in rows spaced laterally to correspond with the spacing of two fingers, and the devices in each row being so spaced that each device is in position to engage a different joint of the finger over that row from each of the other devices of that row, an independent electrical means for operating each of said devices to cause it to impart a sensation to its associated finger joint, control means for said electrical means, said control means including an individual manually operated control switch for each of said means, to cause the corresponding electrical means to operate its device to impart a sensation to the associated finger joint upon operation of the control switches, and said control switches arranged in the same relative positions to each other as are the correspondingindicating means.

3. In a communicating device, a support on which two fingers of a human hand may rest, a plurality of indicating devices on said support arranged in rows spaced laterally corresponding with, the spacing of the two fingers, the devices in each row being so spaced that each device is in position to engage a difierent joint of the fingerover that row from each of the other devices of that row, and means for selectively operating each device to impart a sensation to the respective joints.

4. In a communicating device, a support on which two fingersof a human hand'may rest, a plurality of indicating devices in said support comprising movable plungersarranged in rows spaced laterally corresponding with the spacing of the two fingers and operating through openings in one wall of the support, the plungers in each row being so spaced that each is in position to engage a different joint of the finger over that j 1 row from each ofv the other plungers of that row, operative means for each plunger mounted in the support to shift it toward the finger, and means f 20 for selectively operating the operative means to shift the plungers.

5. In a communicating device, -a readily portable support of a size and shape to be easily held in one hand with two fingers of the hand over the surface of one wall thereof, a; plurality of indicating devices arranged in two rows spaced laterally'to correspond with the spacing of the two fingers and operating through openings in said wall of the support, the devices in each row being 7 g i WILLIAM CONKLIN. 

